ERRATA. Page 11. 1. 21. for "a broad street," read " Broad Street." 91. 1. 18. for "Va ja" read "vaja." 95. 1. 1. for "in this city," read "in Spain." 195. 1. 24. for "Zuarzo," read "Suaco." LETTERS FROM SPAIN. LETTER I. DEPARTURE FROM ENGLAND-STORM-SURGEON'S ACCIDENT-SIGHT of Cape ST. VINCENT-VIEW OFF LAGOS-ST. LUCAR-FLEET BOUND FOR ENGLAND. ON BOARD THE SARAGOSSA, 30 MILES N. W. OF THE ROCK OF LISBON, 11 SEPT. 1809. I SIT down, in spite of the rolling of the ship, to begin a letter, which I shall finish at intervals, and have in readiness to send you by any vessel we may meet, or shall forward it the first moment of my arrival at Cadiz; which, if the wind continue in its present favourable state, will I hope be within two or three days. After waiting a few hours without the Needles for the Crescent to join us, we followed the fleet, under convoy of the Nymphe frigate, consisting of one hundred and fifty sail of vessels, bound to Spain and Portugal. The wind was favourable, and the weather remarkably fine, till we got off Plymouth, when it began to rain and blow very violently. Having been detained by the fleet, which was to wait off that port till joined by some other vessels, and thinking the three ships, the Ann, the Crescent, and Saragossa, of sufficient force to protect us from capture, I determined to proceed without waiting for convoy. B The winds were sufficiently favourable for three days to carry us across the bay of Biscay, but too much to the westward to enable us to weather Cape Finisterre: the sea was so agitated that it produced sickness in the General, Don Ramon, and Mr. Ridout. 66 The wind becoming still more westerly, we could not get round Cape Finisterre, and were beating about for three days betwixt that point and Cape Ortegal without making any progress. On the 8th we had a most tremendous storm the whole day and great part of the night; the ship rolled most violently, and, to use the sailors language, " we shipped a sea. To add to our misfortunes, in the height of the storm, and in a dark night, the Surgeon of the ship was, by the rolling of the vessel, thrown with such force from the sky-light over the cabin against one of the quarter-deck guns, that both the bones of one of his legs were broken a little above the ancle. You may judge of the distress we were thrown into by this unfortunate accident, when you consider, that in the midst of the difficulties surrounding us, we had no surgical assistance at hand, the Ann having parted from us in the gale; and, indeed, had she been in company, the sea ran too high to admit her affording us the aid of her Surgeon. The young man bore his sufferings with fortitude; and when laid in a cot, gave the necessary directions with great coolness. I was anxious the bones should be set immediately; but as a swelling very soon took place, he determined to defer it till the next day: cold applications were applied, to lessen the inflammation, and he slept well. The next morning he prepared the proper bandages with his own hands, and gave directions respecting the mode of reducing the fracture. Under his instructions the operation was per |